Hillary Clinton officially launches ‘resistance’ outside group

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AP Photo/David Goldman

Hillary Clinton officially launches ‘resistance’ outside group

AP Photo/David Goldman

Hillary Clinton officially announced Monday her post-2016 election plans: A political organization aimed at funding “resistance” groups that are standing up to President Donald Trump.

Clinton tweeted that she was launching “Onward Together to encourage people to get involved, organize, and even run for office.”

The group also included a website, which described the group’s goal as looking to “advance progressive values and work to build a brighter future for generations to come.”

Sources told CNN earlier this month that the former secretary of state, months after her 2016 campaign loss, was working with former aides and donors to build an organization that will look to fund and invest in groups that have impressed her since her 2016 election loss.

In an email to supporters and donors, Clinton said Monday that those groups include Swing Left, a grassroots network supporting Democratic House candidates in swing districts; Emerge America, a group urging Democratic women to run for office; Color of Change, a criminal justice reform focused organization; Indivisible, the effort that has spearheaded the protests at congressional town halls across the country; and Run for Something, a group formed by former Clinton campaigns staffers that looks to urge young people to run for local office.

The group, according to an aide, will be a 501(c)(4) with a connected PAC, meaning all money raised through the political nonprofit will not have to disclose donors. A Clinton aide said the group will “follow the guidelines,” meaning they will not release their list of donors.

According to a Clinton aides, Swing Left, Run for Something and Emerge America have already received funding.

“In some cases, we’ll provide direct funding to these organizations,” Clinton wrote in the email. “For others, we’ll help amplify their work and do what we can to help them continue to grow their audiences and expand their reach.”

Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, said in a statement that they are “so honored and proud to have Hillary Clinton’s support.”

The idea for a Clinton political group started months ago, after the former 2016 candidate met with young activists. At first, the meetings were an attempt to motivate and spur activism among young people.

But Clinton soon realized she could do more, said one source.

Sources told CNN that Clinton has been watching groups stand up to Trump from afar and is “particularly fired up,” in the words of one source, to fund these groups and broaden their reach.

Onward Together also temporarily answers a key question for Clinton: What will you do next?

Clinton, a two-time failed presidential candidate who maintains a strong following among Democrats, has told friends that she is unlikely to ever go back to The Clinton Foundation, her family foundation that came under great scrutiny during the 2016 election. And while she has been approached by top colleges about using them as a venue for future advocacy, people close to her said she was unlikely to take that route.

Aides and advisers also say she is not going to run for president again, but doesn’t want to be silent in the coming years.

This group, therefore, is Clinton’s way to boost Democrats while subtly needling Trump.

“The challenges we face as a country are real,” Clinton wrote in her email. “But there’s no telling what we can achieve if we approach the fights ahead with the passion and determination we feel today, and bring that energy into 2017, 2018, 2020, and beyond.”